This course will address sources, services, and systems for providing reference and information service in libraries and information centers. We will examine, create, and evaluate reference sources in a variety of formats. You will gain experience with using, providing, and evaluating reference services in a variety of media.

This course will address sources, services, and systems for providing reference and information service in libraries and information centers. We will examine, create, and evaluate reference sources in a variety of formats. You will gain experience with using, providing, and evaluating reference services in a variety of media.

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The course is divided roughly into the following areas:

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The course will address the following areas, in varying depth:

* Overview of the reference function and the role of libraries;

* Overview of the reference function and the role of libraries;

* The history and future of reference service;

* The history and future of reference service;

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* Major categories of information tools;

* Structure, access, and evaluation of information tools;

* Structure, access, and evaluation of information tools;

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* Reference collection development;

* Question negotiation;

* Question negotiation;

* Search skills and search strategy; and

* Search skills and search strategy; and

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== Instructor ==

== Instructor ==

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Jeffrey Pomerantz

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{{:About}}

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Associate Professor

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School of Information and Library Science

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Office: 306 Manning Hall

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== Course management ==

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Office hours: Tu/Th 11-12:30

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Email: pomerantz@unc.edu

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[https://sakai.unc.edu/portal/site/inls501f12 Sakai site]: Only your grades will be in Sakai. All other course content and activity will be on the [http://inls501.web.unc.edu/ course WordPress site].

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Phone: 962-8064

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Website: http://ils.unc.edu/~jpom

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Course [http://libraryschool.campusguides.com/index.php?gid=2194 LibGuides site] (I will provide you with login info in class)

All readings will be assigned on the course Schedule. All readings will be available on the free web, as an [http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/ejournal/ ejournal], or via the Library's [http://eres.lib.unc.edu/ ereserves]. Readings are also listed in my [http://pinboard.in/u:jpom/t:inls501/t:reading/ course Pinboard feed].

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Readings are listed on the Schedule on the day on which we will discuss them.

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I collect other items of interest using the [https://pinboard.in/u:jpom/t:inls501/ inls501] tag on Pinboard. Please do the same.

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Available in the [http://www.store.unc.edu/ bookstore] and on reserve in the [http://sils.unc.edu/itrc/library/index.html SILS library].

=== Additional reading ===

=== Additional reading ===

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Reference is a central function of libraries, and as a result a lot gets written about it. Bopp & Smith is the textbook that we use in this course, but another good text is the two-volume work by Katz:

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Reference is a central function of libraries, and as a result a lot gets written about it. The two standard textbooks that get used in Reference courses are:

Course description

This course will address sources, services, and systems for providing reference and information service in libraries and information centers. We will examine, create, and evaluate reference sources in a variety of formats. You will gain experience with using, providing, and evaluating reference services in a variety of media.

The course will address the following areas, in varying depth:

Overview of the reference function and the role of libraries;

The history and future of reference service;

Structure, access, and evaluation of information tools;

Question negotiation;

Search skills and search strategy; and

Evaluation of reference services.

INLS 501 is an introduction to reference sources and services, broadly construed. If you are interested in reference work in specific environments, SILS offers a variety of courses: INLS 703, 704, & 705, 708, 709, and others.

Course objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

Be able to identify appropriate information sources and search tools for various types of information needs, and

Use these sources and tools effectively,

Evaluate information sources and search tools for quality,

Evaluate information sources and search tools for relevance to their own information needs,

Understand the steps of the reference transaction, including question negotiation and search strategy development,

A note about office hours: I live in Seattle, WA & will therefore not be holding in person office hours in Chapel Hill. I will hold virtual office hours using Google Hangouts. And I am reachable by all of the fine media listed above. Contact me via any means you prefer. I'm happy to schedule a phonecall if you require a longer conversation.

Textbook & reading

No textbook is required.

All readings will be assigned on the course Schedule. All readings will be available on the free web, as an ejournal, or via the Library's ereserves. Readings are also listed in my course Pinboard feed.

Readings are listed on the Schedule on the day on which we will discuss them.

I collect other items of interest using the inls501 tag on Pinboard. Please do the same.

Additional reading

Reference is a central function of libraries, and as a result a lot gets written about it. The two standard textbooks that get used in Reference courses are: